Plymouth Road Runner

The Plymouth Road Runner was a car built by Plymouth in the United States between 1968 and 1980. In 1968, the original batch of muscle cars were in the opinion of many moving away from their roots as relatively cheap fast cars as they gained more and more options. Although Plymouth already had a performance car, the GTX, they decided to go back to the drawing board and reincarnate the original muscle car concept.

Paying $50,000 to Warner Brothers to use the name and cartoon likeness of their Road Runner cartoon character (as well as a "beep-beep" horn!), and using the Plymouth Belvedere as a base, Plymouth set out to build a back-to-basics muscle car. Everything essential to performance and handling was beefed-up and improved; everything inessential was left out. The interior was spartan, lacking even carpets, and few options were available. The standard engine was Mopar's old favorite 383 cubic inch (6.3 l) V8 rated at 335 bhp (250 kW) and 425 lb-ft (576 Nm) of torque; for an extra $714 Plymouth would fit a 426 cubic inch (7 l) Hemi rated at 425 bhp (317 kW) and 490 lb-ft (664 Nm). The 400 cubic inch (6.6 L) B engine was also available.

Plymouth expected to sell a couple of thousand of these in 1968. Actual sales numbered around 45,000, and these original 1968 model cars are considered classics.

1969's model was little changed; the introduction of a 440 cubic inch (7.2 l) V8 (the intermediate powerplant despite having a bigger engine than the more powerful 426 Hemi), optional bucket seats and a convertible model were the only additions. The car was named Motor Trend Car of the Year. Sales almost doubled, to 82,109. 1970 only differed in the option of a retractable 'Air Grabber' hood scoop, but sales were down to less than 1968's total. For 1970, the Road Runner served as the basis for Plymouth's only true supercar, the outrageous and barely street-legal Superbird.

In 1971, the bodywork was completely changed, to a more rounded, somewhat shark-like shape with deeply inset grille and headlights. That year saw the writing on the wall for the muscle car, and performance was already down thanks to new emissions and fuel economy legislation. Little changed through 1974, except for steadily decreasing power output. 1974's model was really the last true muscle car Road Runner.

1975's model was (for one year only) based on the Plymouth Fury, and after 1976's switch to a Plymouth Volare platform, the Road Runner was barely more than a trim and graphics package on what was fundamentally an economy car. These, Road Runners in name only, were built through 1980 before Plymouth dropped the model altogether.

External Links

Muscle Car Club pages: